Parmaetric equalizer for sub

Having recently bought the VTF-3 I find that I'm unable to get a smooth response from it. I've tried different locations in my living room but I'm not quite happy with the sound. I'm now looking at adding an equalizer to tame some of the room resonances.

First off, are you using a SPL meter to match the levels with the mains? If not, that should be your first step.

Next, what methods were you using to place the sub? The rule of thumb that worked for me was to place the sub at my seated position and feed a test tone through it. Then you crawl around the room and look for the spot where the bass sounds the most even. That is where you place the sub.

Then, you should do some measuring and look at the types of problems that you've got in your frequency response. Keep in mind that a parametric EQ only deals with peaks and not cancellations. To do this, you use either a SPL meter plus a test disc, or a mic and RTA software.

Once you have your baseline established, then the parametric EQ comes into play. The Behringer Feedback Destroyer is the most affordable parametric EQ that I've seen, and with a sub it can produce some remarkable improvements to the sound. The drawback is that it is not intuitive to use and requires a sizable learning curve. Also, the BFD is getting replaced by a new and much more expensive model. Places that still have the old model in stock are selling it for $100. I bought mine from The Musician's Friend. Sonny Parker's website is a must-read if you've never EQ'd a sub before.

If you only have one or two corrections that you need to make, then you could also consider an analog parametric EQ from Rane or others. They cost more than the BFD, but they are a lot easier to use. With the cost increases with the newer BFD model, it might be worthwhile to consider one of the analog models if you can't pick up one of the remaining older units.